Campaigners Celebrate as Rothwell Warehouse Plans Are Rejected

Campaigners are celebrating after councillors unanimously rejected plans for a major warehouse development on farmland near Rothwell.

North Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee went against the recommendation of its officers and refused the proposals for Nunnery Farm, close to Junction 3 of the A14.

The application was submitted by Harworth Estates Investments Ltd in January 2025 and included plans for five large warehouses and three smaller units.

Campaigners outside last night’s planning committee meeting

Councillors raised concerns about the impact on the landscape and the loss of agricultural land. There were also objections over the potential increase in traffic and the effect on the A14/A6 junction.

Hundreds of people had objected to the scheme, which the developers said could have created around 3,000 jobs.

Campaigners said the development would have covered an area equivalent to roughly 75 football pitches – about a third of the size of Rothwell itself.

The site of where the development was planned.

The decision follows a lengthy campaign against the proposals, led by the group Rothwell Against Warehousing (RAW).

Councillor Jim Hakewill, who chairs the campaign group, spoke to HFM after the plan was refused at a meeting last night: